Thank you so much for this series, Julie. It's just the thing. I also get tripped up over the word Lord, given how our understanding of the term is wrapped up in European medieval feudalism, patriarchy, and colonialism. It helped when I considered that when we see LORD in the Hebrew Bible, it's standing in for another word--the Hebrew name for God, which we're not supposed to say aloud. Lord is a stand-in word. My Hebrew Bible professor friend tells me that the Hebrew word for G-d is the non-gendered active causative verb for to-be. Essentially, it translates to "the one who causes things to be and keeps them be-ing." So, whenever I see Lord, I now replace it in my mind with "One who causes things to be and sustains them." Or, easier, I replace the term with the one my Indigenous friends and colleagues prefer: Creator. It gets at that sense of creating and sustaining, and I think better represents the spirit of the original Hebrew than Lord.
I found myself meditating on the terms instrument and channel this morning. The idea of being a thing through which the spirit/breath moves. In a time of such great anxiety, there's a wonderful invitation to simply be open and rest in that piece. It's not about doing anything or solving anything--and invitation to sit and rest. I love that.
Oh, this is marvelous, Suzanne! I’m so grateful you shared these thoughts. It reinforces my affinity for Creator (although I didn’t mention it here). Responsible for be-ing, YES. And I’m a part of that web, a fractal among fractals making up the one great be-ing.
I love that you’re considering both instrument and channel, which for me make different pictures in my mind. I’m going to sit with that, too. 🕊🤍
“Peace is the way.” 🙏 Thank you for this reminder, and the active choice within it. I think peace can be confused with passivity but when we frame it as a choice, it becomes a deliberate and powerful and radical act of benevolence.
Julie, I am so happy you found the song by Sarah. It just brought great joy and peace to me listening. I lean towards the Great Mother Goddess, the Great Spirit and Buddha when I pray. I am looking forward to the next in this series. Well timed, this is and much needed. Thank you.
Julie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The album it is on is “B Sides and Other Rarities” and I have to say it is my favorite album of hers. Crazy and stressful times. I need a good walk in the sun. This week has not been a walking week.
The question of protest is an interesting one. I used to be more afraid of it. I am a real *peacemaker* kind of peacemaker. But I've also come to see the place of protest. I don't have complete thoughts on the matter. Just putting it out there. :)
Oh, I hear this. I reworked that sentence countless times, took it out, put it back, then figured someone would comment and isn’t that better? What do I know, really? I do agree that the sacred NO can sound fierce, and that’s as it should be. Thank you for your thoughts. 🕊 🤍
Love this, Julie: "I had an experience once while meditating, an absolute certainty that I was touching a (or touched by) divine energy. Jazzed with its pulsing, I knew with absolute clarity that my hands are God’s hands, my body is God’s body, my eyes are God’s eyes. I am the Universe seeing itself, a divine spark, spirit embodied. Rilke has a wonderful poem about this. He imagines God accompanying us as we are made, then leaving us with a bit of advice on how to live well."
I think you might find a home among Quakers. This is the core principle of Quaker belief, such as it can be corraled, and it doesn't require belief in the Christian god. I think of myself as a secular Transcendentalist, a kind of humanist Emersonian, and that fits well in the hour of silence at my Friends Meeting.
Oooo! Thanks for chiming in here, Joshua. We are embarking on a search for a spiritual community here in our new town -- and the first choice was between the UUs and the Quakers. Maybe we'll try the Quakers first. Our son was at Baltimore Friends for middle school, so we got a taste of it. Good people. 🕊🤍
The main difference, IMO and with no offense to UU intended, is that one is basically all the ceremonies that other churches have without the dogma. The other is the lovely absence of ceremony and hierarchy. Because I was raised as a fundamentalist, ceremony is quite triggering to me, as are words like "worship." My own personal baggage, I suppose. Best of luck. Quakers have a strange beginning, but I think their history holds up well, and I find their commitment to peace, simplicity, and equality very compelling.
Good points. When we were first married, we belonged to the UU church in Philly, partly for the community, partly for the grand old church itself (design by native son and brilliant architect Frank Furness), and partly b/c the minister was a former philosophy professor who never used the G-word (as my husband calls it). We tried the UUs in Baltimore, but the vibe was way off. It seems to be a very local thing.
So grateful for this series. In the version we learned at school the line was "make me a channel of your peace", so I always assumed the prayer was asking to be aided in showing up passively in the world. No issue with that, on the surface, though in adulthood I've seen many a passive individual with a simmering lake of rage being barely suppressed. So now I think of it as more a kin to a prayer asking that we become able to relate to our whole selves, in order than none of the shadowy or rejected parts get in the way of the divine expression which seems to wish to move through each of us, in various ways (some of which don't align with the more classic interpretations of what divinity should look like!).
I love the suggestion that “channel” and “sow” could be on a spectrum of passive allowing to active choice. Non-resistance shading into intention. Your comment about the shadow clouding divine expression reminded me of the weeks when my mother was dying. As her illness prevailed, it burned away her shadows. Day by day, her inner light shone brighter. It was uncanny and breathtaking to witness. 🤍
This is an absolutely beautiful reflection at a time so needed. The wisdom in your words resonates deeply for me, as does the second one, "Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Sow Love." What a gift right now. So grateful for you!!
This is full of truth, Julie. Such a powerful and simple idea but so elusive. I had forgotten all about the Gandhi quote but reading it again here after all these years sparked something deep in me. Thank you for sharing this gift.
Great posts here, Julie. Reminds me in places of The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. A long book, but it offers me many useful insights and practices, drawn from different mystical traditions.
Thank you Julie, for offering this gift of a 'slow read' and contemplation of this profound prayer. For me this first line goes right to the heart of my faith, I am not in control, God is, and I have to acknowledge and accept it over and over, so strong is my desire for control. My Lord is the Christian God-Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. For me it is that relinquishment of control that fills me with his love and a faith that I can be a part of his love in the world, and instrument of his peace. I too have known that truly precious grace of being his instrument, his hands, his feet, his voice, his ears especially when listening and caring for someone else.
Beautiful, Leslie. I, too, have felt that sense of being an instrument is present when caring for someone else. Al-Anon reinforced the freedom that comes from surrendering to a higher power, however defined. Trying to control is agonizing and makes me anxious. 🕊🤍
Thank you so much for this series, Julie. It's just the thing. I also get tripped up over the word Lord, given how our understanding of the term is wrapped up in European medieval feudalism, patriarchy, and colonialism. It helped when I considered that when we see LORD in the Hebrew Bible, it's standing in for another word--the Hebrew name for God, which we're not supposed to say aloud. Lord is a stand-in word. My Hebrew Bible professor friend tells me that the Hebrew word for G-d is the non-gendered active causative verb for to-be. Essentially, it translates to "the one who causes things to be and keeps them be-ing." So, whenever I see Lord, I now replace it in my mind with "One who causes things to be and sustains them." Or, easier, I replace the term with the one my Indigenous friends and colleagues prefer: Creator. It gets at that sense of creating and sustaining, and I think better represents the spirit of the original Hebrew than Lord.
I found myself meditating on the terms instrument and channel this morning. The idea of being a thing through which the spirit/breath moves. In a time of such great anxiety, there's a wonderful invitation to simply be open and rest in that piece. It's not about doing anything or solving anything--and invitation to sit and rest. I love that.
Oh, this is marvelous, Suzanne! I’m so grateful you shared these thoughts. It reinforces my affinity for Creator (although I didn’t mention it here). Responsible for be-ing, YES. And I’m a part of that web, a fractal among fractals making up the one great be-ing.
I love that you’re considering both instrument and channel, which for me make different pictures in my mind. I’m going to sit with that, too. 🕊🤍
“Peace is the way.” 🙏 Thank you for this reminder, and the active choice within it. I think peace can be confused with passivity but when we frame it as a choice, it becomes a deliberate and powerful and radical act of benevolence.
Love this, a “radical act of benevolence.” Yes, non-action is very different from inaction. Allowing is different from passivity. 🕊️🤍
Julie, I am so happy you found the song by Sarah. It just brought great joy and peace to me listening. I lean towards the Great Mother Goddess, the Great Spirit and Buddha when I pray. I am looking forward to the next in this series. Well timed, this is and much needed. Thank you.
Thanks for recommending it! It’s stunning. I’m so glad this helps. Crazy times lately. 😮💨
Julie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The album it is on is “B Sides and Other Rarities” and I have to say it is my favorite album of hers. Crazy and stressful times. I need a good walk in the sun. This week has not been a walking week.
I am so glad I read this before work today. This gave me chills: "I am in God’s hands and I am God’s hands, both." I am still all over goosebumps. xo
Yay! Thanks for being here, Rebecca. 🕊🤍
I love this, Julie.
The question of protest is an interesting one. I used to be more afraid of it. I am a real *peacemaker* kind of peacemaker. But I've also come to see the place of protest. I don't have complete thoughts on the matter. Just putting it out there. :)
Oh, I hear this. I reworked that sentence countless times, took it out, put it back, then figured someone would comment and isn’t that better? What do I know, really? I do agree that the sacred NO can sound fierce, and that’s as it should be. Thank you for your thoughts. 🕊 🤍
One of the more recent influences on my thinking regarding protest, you might find inspiring (scroll down to the 4 paths section :) ...
https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/
This is WILD! You're the second person to send this today -- and I've never heard of this organization. Guess I'd better pay attention! 🤔
!
Their materials are amazing. And quite excellent. I just read this one, too, and it's so good...
https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/how-we-can-meet-challenges-of-authoritarianism/
Love this, Julie: "I had an experience once while meditating, an absolute certainty that I was touching a (or touched by) divine energy. Jazzed with its pulsing, I knew with absolute clarity that my hands are God’s hands, my body is God’s body, my eyes are God’s eyes. I am the Universe seeing itself, a divine spark, spirit embodied. Rilke has a wonderful poem about this. He imagines God accompanying us as we are made, then leaving us with a bit of advice on how to live well."
I think you might find a home among Quakers. This is the core principle of Quaker belief, such as it can be corraled, and it doesn't require belief in the Christian god. I think of myself as a secular Transcendentalist, a kind of humanist Emersonian, and that fits well in the hour of silence at my Friends Meeting.
Your prayer would fit right in there.
Oooo! Thanks for chiming in here, Joshua. We are embarking on a search for a spiritual community here in our new town -- and the first choice was between the UUs and the Quakers. Maybe we'll try the Quakers first. Our son was at Baltimore Friends for middle school, so we got a taste of it. Good people. 🕊🤍
The main difference, IMO and with no offense to UU intended, is that one is basically all the ceremonies that other churches have without the dogma. The other is the lovely absence of ceremony and hierarchy. Because I was raised as a fundamentalist, ceremony is quite triggering to me, as are words like "worship." My own personal baggage, I suppose. Best of luck. Quakers have a strange beginning, but I think their history holds up well, and I find their commitment to peace, simplicity, and equality very compelling.
Good points. When we were first married, we belonged to the UU church in Philly, partly for the community, partly for the grand old church itself (design by native son and brilliant architect Frank Furness), and partly b/c the minister was a former philosophy professor who never used the G-word (as my husband calls it). We tried the UUs in Baltimore, but the vibe was way off. It seems to be a very local thing.
So grateful for this series. In the version we learned at school the line was "make me a channel of your peace", so I always assumed the prayer was asking to be aided in showing up passively in the world. No issue with that, on the surface, though in adulthood I've seen many a passive individual with a simmering lake of rage being barely suppressed. So now I think of it as more a kin to a prayer asking that we become able to relate to our whole selves, in order than none of the shadowy or rejected parts get in the way of the divine expression which seems to wish to move through each of us, in various ways (some of which don't align with the more classic interpretations of what divinity should look like!).
I love the suggestion that “channel” and “sow” could be on a spectrum of passive allowing to active choice. Non-resistance shading into intention. Your comment about the shadow clouding divine expression reminded me of the weeks when my mother was dying. As her illness prevailed, it burned away her shadows. Day by day, her inner light shone brighter. It was uncanny and breathtaking to witness. 🤍
I very much appreciate you sharing that 🤍
Thank you for this.
Thanks for being here, Kelly. 🕊️🤍
This is beautiful, Julie, a really lovely contemplation that makes me consider my own choices more deeply.
Thanks for being here, Sarah. 🕊️🤍
This is an absolutely beautiful reflection at a time so needed. The wisdom in your words resonates deeply for me, as does the second one, "Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Sow Love." What a gift right now. So grateful for you!!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m grateful for you, too. Looking forward to connecting later today. 🕊️🤍
Thank you, Julie. Very soothing post.
Thanks for being here, Sue. 🕊 🤍
This is full of truth, Julie. Such a powerful and simple idea but so elusive. I had forgotten all about the Gandhi quote but reading it again here after all these years sparked something deep in me. Thank you for sharing this gift.
Thanks for being here, Ben. 🕊️🤍
Great posts here, Julie. Reminds me in places of The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. A long book, but it offers me many useful insights and practices, drawn from different mystical traditions.
Thanks for the suggestion, Jack.
Thank you Julie, for offering this gift of a 'slow read' and contemplation of this profound prayer. For me this first line goes right to the heart of my faith, I am not in control, God is, and I have to acknowledge and accept it over and over, so strong is my desire for control. My Lord is the Christian God-Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. For me it is that relinquishment of control that fills me with his love and a faith that I can be a part of his love in the world, and instrument of his peace. I too have known that truly precious grace of being his instrument, his hands, his feet, his voice, his ears especially when listening and caring for someone else.
Beautiful, Leslie. I, too, have felt that sense of being an instrument is present when caring for someone else. Al-Anon reinforced the freedom that comes from surrendering to a higher power, however defined. Trying to control is agonizing and makes me anxious. 🕊🤍
Al-Anon had a deep influence on my faith. As simple as it is, the Serenity Prayer grounds me quickly, I think of it as my sorting prayer.
That's a wonderful image, sorting. They have so many great aphorisms, too. One of my faves: expectations are premeditated resentment.
It's interesting that the song starts with Make me a channel of your peace.
Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't notice at first. 🕊🤍
I took a deep and long breath as I read this. Thank you Julie✨
I too find the language of patriarchy and power over to be an obstacle and have taken to substituting “Holy Mystery” for God, Father and Lord.